


Reasons Why

by summerrain24601



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 05:57:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15503808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerrain24601/pseuds/summerrain24601
Summary: Hawke wasn't always so jaded.





	Reasons Why

**Author's Note:**

> Because Hawke just being naturally angry didn't seem to make sense to me.

The scene in Varric's suite in the Hanged Man was an almost everyday sight now. It was more rare for the elder Hawke to join them. And after the first few invitations to their Wicked Grace nights early on had been rejected, they had stopped asking. Varric never did win or lose much. Isabela seemed to be the best, so far, but it was hard to tell whether Carver or Merrill was the worst. 

"I keep telling you, kitten, don't bet anything you're not prepared to lose," Isabela said, handing some trinket back to the elf mage. 

"I know," she muttered, tucking the trinket back in her pocket. "But I don't have coin to bet with like everyone else." 

"I don't play for the coin anyway," Varric admitted.

"What do you play for then?" Merrill asked.

"The stories. That way I win no matter how the cards fall." 

Their game continued, as it always did, well into the night. Most of them were quite drunk, or on their way to it, when a certain absent someone got brought up.

"Was your sister always like that?" Aveline asked.

"Blunt, no nonsense, to the point, all work no play?" Carver asked. He shook his head. "No. She wasn't always." 

"Care to elaborate, Junior?" Varric asked, shuffling the cards for yet another round. Merrill had long since stumbled over to Varric's bed and curled up, passing out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Varric simply shrugged it off. This wasn't he first time she'd fallen asleep somewhere other than her house in the alienage.

"I remember her always being worried about others when we were little," Carver admitted. "I'd watch her helping Bethany with magic in the field, after Father was done with them for the day. But Father was always harder on her than he was on us. He expected perfection from her, and she did everything she could to give it to him. But it was never good enough." He knew that feeling quite well, being in the non-mage minority of the family. "After a while, she… I guess she hardened up. Made herself more like him, and spent more time working on her own magic. Put some distance between all of us, too." He paused and took another drink from whatever it was that he'd ordered. "So, I suppose it's really all Father's fault that she doesn't have a sense of humor anymore." 

"Sheesh, and I thought my family was a mess," Varric muttered. 

"But part of her hasn't changed," Carver continued. "She still tries to be kind, she's just not as obvious anymore." 

"I've noticed that too," Merrill admitted. "But when I pointed it out she just glared at me and walked off."

"Well, she doesn't do it to get noticed," Carver said with a chuckle. "She's stubborn like that. Doesn't want anyone seeing her soft side." 

"Sounds like you two are more alike than you're willing to admit," Aveline said with a pointed look at Carver. He gave her a glare that lost most of the malicious intent due to his semi-drunk state, and earned a laugh from the dwarf. Cards were dealt, and another round was played before Carver finally gave in.

"Mother will send my sister after me if I stay much longer," he reasoned, stumbling to his feet. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd been sent to collect him after a drunk night of cards. 

"C'mon Daisy, wake up," Varric said from beside the bed, gently shaking the elven mage by the shoulders. She muttered something and rubbed at her eyes. Varric gave her a wry grin. "I'll walk you home Daisy, but I can't carry you anywhere." 

"I'll take her," a new voice called from the doorway. "It's not that far out of my way." 

"Sister, what-"

"Mother sent me to come find you," she said shortly. "I'd rather find you here than at the Rose again," she added under her breath. She looked over at Varric. "Have you tracked those dwarves that came after us?"

"Yeah, but what I've heard doesn't make sense," he admitted. "It's somewhere they're calling the Vimmark Wasteland, I think, and my contacts have told me, in no uncertain terms, that it shouldn't exist."

"I say it's time we take the fight to them. Aveline, think you can manage to get some time off to come with us?" Hawke asked the guardswoman.

"I think the guard can handle themselves for a few weeks," she decided with a nod. "They're much better off than they were with Jevan as captain."

"Good. When's the earliest you can leave?"

"Day after tomorrow, I think."

"Then that's when we'll head out. The sooner, the better." It would give Carver enough time to recover from the hangover this was sure to give him, but hopefully not so much time that the dwarves came after them again.


End file.
